Rory McIlroy says a desire to take on “challenging things” can fuel further success in 2026 as he made a strong start to his season at the Dubai Invitational.
The world number two completed a career Grand Slam with victory at the Masters last April. He later helped Europe win the Ryder Cup in New York, while he also triumphed at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Players Championship and Irish Open.
In his first competitive outing of the year, McIlroy carded an opening five-under 66 to take the first-round lead at Dubai Creek Resort.
Despite becoming just the sixth golfer to complete a career sweep of men’s majors, motivation remains high for McIlroy.
“I like the work and like the process,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.
“I enjoy doing challenging things and I think if you can make that the important part and make it routine, you don’t need motivation to do it. It’s your lifestyle and what you do.
“I guess it’s who you identify as and I identify as a hard worker and someone who likes to do those things.
“The more you do that, the more it becomes who you are. I’ve done it for so long now that if I didn’t do it, it would feel pretty foreign.”
